Thick as Thieves by Peter Spiegelman Essay

The Book Thief, written by an Australian author, Markus Zusak, is a devastatingly powerful historical-fiction novel that bears several re-readings. Being one of the greatest, most divinely-written epilogues in my school library, The Book Thief, is a soul-shattering, thought-provoking story that undoubtedly can be recommended to the young and old alike. This poignant, prolonged, but achingly sad book, is the pinnacle of contemporary historical-fiction, poised to become a classic. Phenomenally breathtaking, and inspiring, bringing nothing but anticipatory dread, this lyrical, surreal book, though depressingly morbid at times, was my “gateway” to historical-fiction. The tribulations and trials provided in the novel, had inevitable passion, perspective

1) Prescribed Text – The Book Thief a. Compose a summary/synopsis of the text (plot/themes/characters/key concerns). (100 words only)

The Book Thief, written by Australian novelist Markus Zusak, follows a young girl living in Nazi Germany, and employs innovative techniques to convey the central idea of the extremes of human behavior. This central idea was explored through stylistic techniques and conventions such as Death as the narrator, juxtaposition, irony, lack of chronological order, narrative voices, and themes, namely the power of words.

Among the Betrayed by Margaret Peterson was a book full of mysteries. I wanted to read this book because the book blurb grabbed my attention. In the book blurb it vaguely describes the big crazy events in the main characters life. The events are very hectic and I like books that are adventurous and full of exotic situations. This book was definitely the perfect choice for me.

Over the summer I read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. The novel contains many memorable quotes, with powerful meanings that can be applied to the reader’s life. The novel is the story of Liesel Meminger’s journey through the eyes of the narrator, Death. Liesel has many hardships in her life, but also a lot of good fortune. The novel shows both Liesel and Death’s reactions to each situation she encounters.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a story set in Germany during World War 2. This novel follows the life of Liesel Meminger, a girl who develops greatly. With Death as the all knowing narrator of the story, the reader has the ability to see various perspectives. It tells the story of oppression, portrays the power of words, and shows the human ability for kindness or cruelty. I chose to do option four, in which I have chosen important sections from the novel.

Markus Zusak, the author of The Book Thief, displays several ways to help readers analyze the story. He uses diction, imagery, details, language, and syntax which allows his audience to master the content in the story.

In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak there are many book thieves portrayed throughout the novel. Some steal books for malicious intent while others steal for self-improvement. The thief that is focused on most is Liesel Meminger. She steals books to educate herself and escape from her own hectic world into another. The titles of the books she steals help to show situations she has encountered and situations she is trying to avoid.

The first book I chose is titled, The Whipping Boy. It is about a young Prince, who ran away from the royal palace with his whipping boy, who isn’t too fond of him. Their running away turned into an adventure, they end up becoming the best of friends and return back to the royal palace. I selected this book because when I read what it was about, I was intrigued. I also thought about if the plot fit the age group of children I wish to teach, and it did. Another factor that played a part in my decision to read this book was the cover. The cover of the book displayed this big guy holding on to the shoulders of these two young boys while a bear shadowed them. I wanted to know what that had to do with the title because they didn’t correspond to me.

Curtin, on the other hand, had found his way back to Howard and the two men were helped by the villagers to retrieve their gold. Unfortunately, they discovered not only that their gold is gone, but that Dobbs was killed by the bandits. In the end, as the Curtin and Howard separated their ways, they realize that despite not coming back with pounds and pounds of gold, the two men earned something even better: a new life. Howard is returning to the village to become a grandfather-like figure to the villagers. As for Curtin, he is going to look for the widow of a man, named Cody, as he was killed initially in the film by the bandits, in efforts to marry her and start a family. The film was not done yet, it ended with an image of the empty sack of gold lying next to a cactus. Proving that although money can be tempting to the eye, does not mean that it can be dangerous. The moral of the film is to not let greed of too much money get in the way of one’s soul/humanity in what is right and what is

The dark figure of crime refers to the idea that the majority of crimes committed are never reported, and even fewer of those reported end up cleared or convicted. Politicians may want to keep it this way, having certain crimes going unreported/unsolved, for many reasons.

After I get myself in a dangerous situation I learn two things: One is that I must manage the situation or give up and die and the other one that I must acquire the ability to enjoy the things that matter. When I think about this issue, I manage to reflect on experiences that I have been through. For example, when I’ve been working in a high-story building. In the beginning, I thought I was born with a natural spider man abilities. Not that I like to swing from building to building holding on only to a spider web. However, I curse the easiness in which heights do not frighten me whatsoever. Although being on top of a twenty-story building and observing the world gives me the satisfaction and freedom that only comes from being that far from humanity.

If you believe in yourself and have dedication, pride, and never quit, you will be successful. Markus Zusak, the author of The Book Thief, creates a story of a young orphan named Liesel Meminger, who is living with her new foster family. She learns the wonders of reading from her foster father and grows to love books. During Liesel’s time with her new family, she shows determination through her efforts and kindness with her encounters with other people. Liesel in The Book Thief expresses her traits, such as hardworking, and bravery.

Reason: In all honesty, I chose this book because I thought the cover looked cool. I was with my friend in the library, and I saw it being displayed on one of the shelves. I picked it up, and my friend told me she read it and said it was a good book that she enjoyed.

Afterward, Hammond takes Jack and his family to a brothel to stay and cook something for their food on the roof. During Hammond, Jack, and his family have a dinner, Hammond calls Jack and his wife to have some talk. He tells them that they need to take a boat toward the Vietnamese border where the rebels cannot touch